US Open 2011: Andy Murray braces himself for hurricane impact on New York

These are stimulating times for Andy Murray. Having been shaken by last week’s
earthquake here, he is now preparing to be stirred by the approaching
Hurricane Irene. “In a weird way, I am interested to see what it will be
like,” he said.

In form: Andy Murray is in peak condition and hungry as the US Open loomsPhoto: AP

Murray has been backed by many pundits — including most recently John McEnroe — to make a serious impact at the US Open. But first, he and the rest of the field must wait to see how the hurricane, which is projected to hit New York on Sunday, will influence the tournament.

“If it is really bad on Sunday I would expect it to affect the tennis on Monday,” Murray said. “The subways and stuff will be all screwed up. We have booked practice courts indoors for Saturday and Sunday, in case the weather is really bad so we are least able to get some hits in.

“We are staying on the 40th floor of a hotel so that’s probably not the best place to be. Should we be looking to move? Is it going to be fine in Manhattan? You see people in the news evacuating, boarding up the windows, are they doing the right thing? It could prove a bit of a nightmare” Hurricanes and earthquakes are not a regular feature of life in Scotland.

And despite a training schedule that involves plenty of time in Florida, Murray says he has never experienced these disconcerting natural phenomena before.

“During the earthquake the other day, I was sitting down in the locker room [at Flushing Meadows]. I had just come in from practice and I thought I was going to faint, that I was dizzy.

“After about 20 seconds I was like ‘the ground is moving’. Dani [hitting partner Dani Vallverdu] was saying ‘no what are you talking about?’ But I could feel it in my legs, the lockers were open and were moving. Also in the lunch hall it was really bad, they evacuated the gym and everyone upstairs.”

Assuming that Murray makes it through the weekend intact, he says he feels “pretty fresh” and in peak condition after winning the Cincinnati Masters a week ago.

And that view was endorsed on Thursday by McEnroe, who said “The hungriest man in the draw should be Murray. I think this is his best shot to win one [a grand slam tournament].”